Archive for August, 2017

Not only did I post about J.Crew’s chore blazer (Blazer Chores), but I also picked up one for myself. The results are in, and I like it!

Why did I like about it? At the most basic level It gave me the feeling that I was wearing a sport coat, but it dressed it down in a way that made it more acceptable to the crowd that does not like that type of thing. It also has a cool factor as chore jackets are definitely in at the moment. For us ivy guys it has great shoulders, a 3/2-ish roll, and patch pockets galore. Basically it is a more accessible Keydge (The Weejun on the Keydge) albeit a bit more casual than even a Keydge.So what is there not to like it about this blazer? In my opinion it does not look good buttoned. I don’t think it is just the cotton construction, but something about it reminds me of a lab coat when buttoned (see the pic directly above for reference). I wore it unbuttoned. It will also be tough to dress up outside of chinos and should be considered business casual at best. It does working cuffs which presents a problem for those that need them shortened. In my case the sleeves need to be shortened so much that it should not present a problem.

I wanted to get you all some feedback while they are still available. I almost forgot. I purchased a 38R. It fits like 38S…or maybe a 37S

Summer is on its way out. It will be sad when we have to say goodbye to seersucker and shorts, but exciting to say hello to corduroy and tweed. In anticipation of the upcoming season I thought that I would take a moment to reflect on my favorite items from this summer.

1. Sperry Mocs (see original post)- Far and away these were the best purchase of the summer. I wore them 99% of the time. The fit was perfect. They are extremely comfortable. The only downsides are that the shape could be improved and the branding on the mid-sole could be removed. All in all an awesome moc.

2. White Sweatshirt – My first white sweatshirt was far too heavy for the coolest summer evenings. My second attempt was a cobble-cloth-ish sweatshirt from Brooks Brothers Red Fleece line. It was the perfect weight and the cobble-cloth like finish differentiated from the typical sweatshirt. While my Sperry Mocs were my favorite item of the summer this sweatshirt was the people’s favorite. I cannot recall a time that I wore it and did not receive a compliment.

3. Lightweight Green Chinos – Last, but most certainly not least are a pair of lightweight chinos in oxford cloth from J.Crew (770 fit). These green trousers have already received some attention in my “On the Green” post, but they deserved another round of applause. It is not that often that my trad clothes are on-trend, but these pants helped to get me there and for that I am grateful.

Well there you have it. These three items were my most worn and most liked of the summer. What was your best purchase of the summer, this summer or any summer?

If my Modern Trad post (see here) inspired any of you to go out and start looking for a chore blazer I have some good news for you. J.Crew’s Wallace & Barnes line recently released a nice looking chore blazer with 3-button closure and triple patch pockets. The kicker is that they are offered in suit sizing all for $150 (see here).I don’t know too much more about the blazers other than what I stated above. I also know nothing about J.Crew’s suit sizing. For instance, these jackets look like they are cut short. I wonder how much shorter they are than a standard jacket? Outside of the typical fit questions this blazer seems like a good way to test out if chore blazers and unstructured blazers such as a Vetra or Keydge are a good fit for you on the cheap.

I will close out this post with an excerpt from my previous post on chore blazers,

“If you are a young guy that wants to start a sport coat, but aren’t quite ready to go full on blue blazer and repp tie this could be a great place to start. At the same time if you are an old school die hard trad you may want to think about adding one of these to your closet and break it out on casual Friday, the weekend, or even on vacation. If you don’t fall into either of those categories like myself you may just want one and that’s okay too.”

I found Christian Chensvold from Ivy Style’s post on Beatnik Prep refreshing. It’s not so much that I loved the style, but that I liked seeing someone inject their own point of view, interests, and style into the look whether that look be Ivy League Style, Prep, or Trad. One way that I do this is with my sneakers.I love running sneakers. I especially love running sneakers from the late 80’s-90’s. Even though I have weaned myself off of sneakers over the years they are still a part of my life. I primarily wear these sneakers for errands (especially when too cold or rainy for no-socks), neighborhood walks, hiking, canoeing, urban exploring, and the most casual of social events. Like Christian I even have a name for this style which I call 90’s hip-hop cross country team prep. Not a real thing or very catchy I know. I take a pair of khaki chino shorts and a polo shirt or chinos and a blue OCBD add my sneaks and there you have it.This style is clearly not for everyone, because it is extremely tailored to me. This is in fact my point. This inclusion of running sneakers speaks to my personal interests and experiences. It makes my style my own and not just rules from a book, but still keeps the Trad vibe or at least I think it does. It also speaks to a great comment that a reader Fred left on the Modern Trad blog post,

I’m glad to see that you are looking at a modern take on trad. Trad was in its hey day around fifty years ago. Trad has evolved and I don’t want to dress like it’s 1966. I want to take the trad ideas and evolve them into today. That’s the intellectual challenge. What is the modern equivalent of trad. What does it mean to be trad in 2017?

While I may disagree with Fred about Trad existing in 1966 I think that his underlying point is spot on or at least the point I took away is. This point is that you cannot stop growing and changing which I truly believe. My other point is that it is okay to incorporate non-trad articles of clothing that you like into you Trad wardrobe. It does not make you less Trad. Just don’t try to convince others that these items are the Traddest and everything will be fine.